Method of making glassware



March 11, 1947.

T. H.-SL.OAN

METHOD OF MAKING GLASSWARE Filed Jan. 27} 1944 s Sheets$heet 1 Eli m;

INVENTOR I TheodaweHS/oan March 11, 1947. 'r. H. 'SLOAN METHOD OF MAKINGGLASSWARE Filed Jan. 27, 1944 s Sheets-Sheet 2 'JigZB.

Mal-ch11, 1947. LO N 2,417,328

' METHOD OF MAKING GLAsjswARE Filed Jan. 27, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENT OR Theodore/{Sb 6/? 1s Armmvzsw Patented Mar. 11, 1947 METHOD OFMAKING GLASSWARE' Theodore H. Sloan,

G. M. S. Corporation, poration of Pennsylvan Charleroi, Pa. assignor:to,

Pittsburgh, Pa, a cor-. ia'

Application January 27, 1944, Serial No. 519,878

9 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of glassware and particularlyto the making of footed ware such as goblets, stem-foot Ware, and thelike.

So far as I am aware, no satisfactory method of producing footed gobletsor like stemware by pressing in one piece has been known heretofore,except those involving hand operations. Such footed ware as has beenpressed in one piece by hand heretofore has been characterized byobjectionable seams extending up to the rim and down to and around theedge of the foot. I have invented a novel method of making footed waresuch as stem-foot go-blets having a bowl which is without seams, by aseries of operations which may readily be performed by a rotary-tablepress machine.

In a preferred practice of the invention, I employ a mold including anupper portion providing a cavity for forming the rim or lip and upperpart of the bowl of the ware, and a lower portion providing cavities forforming the bottom of the bowl and the foot, and a constriction-betweenthe cavities for forming the stem orfoot connection. Both portions ofthe mold may be segmental but the upper portion is preferably acontinuous ring. The lower portion of the mold is open at the bottom andis engraved to provide a design on the exterior of the Ware whicheffectively conceals seams formed. at the joints between the segments ofthe mold. After placing a mass or gob of molten glass in the mold, I'ap-= ply fluid pressure above the glass to force a portion thereofthrough the stem portion of the mold to fill the latter and form aspherical mass of glass as an appendage on the main mass at the openbottom of the mold. I limit th amount of glass flowing through the stemportion of the mold cavity by preforming the appendage to a definitesize under suction, if needed.

On completion of these several steps, a forming plunger isapplied to thespherical appendage of glass at the bottom of the stem, and pressureexerted thereon, thus'shaping the footer base of the ware. I then shapethe balance of the glass remaining in the top portion of the mold intothe bowl of the ware by means of a press-plunger. This operationcompletes the formation of onegoblet or piece of other stem-foot ware.The mold or the segmental lower portion thereof at least, is thenexpanded and the finished ware is lifted out of the mold.

Other novel features and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent during thefol lowingdetailed descriptionand explanation which;

refer to the. accompanying drawings illustrating theseveral steps of themethod .of my invention-t In the drawings,

Figure 1 isa section through a mold showing the charge or gob of moltenglass as initially deposited therein;

Figure 1A is a similar of a portion of the gob the'portion of theglasswhich eventuallyjs to form the foot;

Figure. 1B is. a viewsimilarto Figure, 1 showing;

theglassin conditionforrthe pressing, of the;

similar to Figure .1 showing whichwill be fullydescribed and explainedhere inafter; and

Figures 5 through 7 my method Referring now in detail to the drawings,pluralityof molds are mounted on a press-machine tablell. The table I Ii adapted to in a step-by step manner so that the Vance successivelyfrom one; station .to the next, aroundthe periphery of the etable, forthe per formance of the, several operations about to be described.The-description will cover the prog ress; ofonemold through each ofstations occupied by the molds but it will be understood that the at anygiven station upon all the several molds, in the manner of operationcharacteristic of rotary machines for making glassware. T

One of the molds iii is illustrated in detail in Figures 1 through 4,which show the several steps of the. complete manufacturing operation;Each mold includes a base plate l2 mountedonq the machine table l l. Amold housing l3 resting. on the plate l2 supports a, mold portionMadapted be rotated to shape the upper portion of the bowl of the ware.In'the mold illustrated, thegportion I4 is a continuous or one-piece topring. It may, however, be segmental. The lower portion I5 of the mold iscomposed of a plurality of segments: movable radiallywithin the: housingI 3. The" segments have a slot and shoulder COIlIlBCtlOILIfif with: the,lower portion; of: thejring l4; The;-

viewshowingthe blowing through the mold to form. the finished stem, andthe preliminary shaping,of

similar to Figure 1 showing ,1

additional views similar to, Figure 1 showingsucceedingsteps intheoperation are, perspective views, of;

other forms ofware which may be, produced by molds, ad 1 same operationis performed constriction therebetween for forming the stem or footconnection.

As shown in Figure portion l are contracted 1, the segments of mold atthe first station.

When the mold is at this station, a gob of molten glass 19 is droppedthrough the ring l4 and into the lower mold portion 15. If the ring I4is segmental, its segments are, of course, contracted before the gob isdropped. While the mold dwells at the first station a thereon and apreforming plunger 2| is raised into contact with the lower portion ofthe mold, as shown in Figure 1A. Airunder pressure is admitted througha, pipe 22 and a passage 23 in the head to the interior of the moldabove the gob. Simultaneously suction may, if needed, be applied to thelower portion of the mold by a passage 24 through the plunger 2|. Theupper end of the plunger 2| is shaped to form a spherical appendage 25on the main mass of glass as a portion thereof flows through the openbottom of the mold. The amount of glass flowing through the mold,however, is definitely limited by the plunger 2|. The appendage 25, ofcourse, is connected to the'remainder of the glass by a stem or footconnection 25a formed in the bottom of the mold portion l5. j

The gob begins to set up immediately on contact with the mold, as aresult of the loss of heat thereto. After a time sumcient to permit theglass flowing through the mold to fill the recess in the top of plunger2 I, the blowhead 20 is raised and the plunger 2| is lowered leaving theglass in the mold in the condition illustrated in Figure 13. It is to benoted that the appendage 25 issubstantially spherical in shape. It thustends to retain suflioient heat so that it may easily be molded to formthe foot, in the manner now to be described. After the preforming of thefoot, as illustrated in Figures 1A and 1B, the table II is advanced onestep, bringing the mold to the second station. When at that location, aplunger 26 is raised to press the appendage 25. As shown in Figure 2,the upper end of the plunger 26 is shaped to form a foot 21 on thepartly formed piece of ware. As a result of the air pressure applied bythe blowhead 20, the glass fills the lower portion of the mold, insuringthat the stem or connection 25a between the foot and the bowl of theware is fully filled out. The preforming of the appendage 25 insuresthat just the right amount of glass is available to form the foot. Theedge of the finished foot is thus kept free from the mold segments sothat no seams are formed thereon.

While the mold remains at the second station, a bowl-forming plunger 28is 7 brought down through the ring M to press the remainder of the glassupwardly into a complete bowl 3| as shown in Figure 2A. A collar 29 onthe plunger 28 has a groove 30 effective to shape the rim of the gobletbowl. When the goblet has been completely shaped, the plungers 26 and 28are withdrawn leaving the piece of ware in the mold in the conditionshown in Figure 2B. The table next moves forward again to carry the moldto the third station. 1

At the third station a nozzle 32 delivers a cooling blowhead 20 islowered wardly through the 4 blast of air into the ware from above, asshown in Figure 3. After the preliminary cooling at the third station,the mold is advanced by another step to the fourth station. At thatpoint, as shown in Figure 4, the segments of the lower mold portion 15are cracked or slightly expanded and streams of cooling air aredelivered onto the ware from above and below by nozzles 33 and 34,respectively. Cracking of the lower mold portion permits longitudinalcontraction of the ware. It will be observed that the ware remainssuspended in the ring l4 which, being continuous, is not capable ofenlargement. If the ring M were segmental, it would preferably be heldcontracted at this stage. The opening of the lower mold portion alsoaids cooling of the ware. On the next movement of the table, the mold isadvanced to the fifth station at which the foot and stem of the ware arefurther cooled by a stream of air from a nozzle.

After final cooling at the fifth station the mold advances with the nextmovement of the table to 7 the sixth station at which the lower moldportion is fully opened. A lifting plunger is moved uptable and mold andis effective to raise the were into elevated position for engagement bya take-away mechanism. By means of a passage through the plunger,suction may be applied to the foot of the piece of ware to aid inholding it on the plunger. It will be noted that the minimum insidediameter of the ring it is sufficientlygreater than the maximum diameterof all portions of the ware formed by the lower mold portion to permit,this upward removal of the ware through the ring. When the ware has beenengaged by the take-away mechanism, the plunger is lowered and the tableis again moved forward to advance the mold to subsequent stations forfurther cooling, closing and oiling.

Figures 5, 6 and '7 show other typical forms of ware which may be madeby my method,'in addition to that shown in Figure 4.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the inventionprovides a highly advantageous method of shaping footed glass: ware bypressing a charge of molten glass in a mold. The exact: amount of glassneeded to form the foot is positively forced through the mold by airpressure and preformed to a heat-retaining 3 used for the upper shape.If a continuous ring is portionof the mold the upper portion of the waremay be formed without seams. The portion of segmental portion or porthebowl formed by the tions of the mold may embellished, as shown ineffectively concealing joints between the segments composing the mold.

be fluted or otherwise The formation of the bottom of the foot by aplunger and the preforming of the foot eliminates seams on the lowerside'and edge" of the foot. The invention thus provides a satisfactorymethod whereby footed ware having a seamof the invention or the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1.111 a method ormkmg moaa gsswaism l the drawings, thereby the seamsformed at the a mold having a bowl-forming cavity in a portion thereofat least a part of which is in one piece, and stem-forming andfoot-forming cavities in mold portions which are segmental, the stepsincluding dropping a mass of molten glass into the mold, applying fluidpresure above the mass and simultaneously confining the glass flowingthrough the stem-forming cavity into the footforming cavity to preformit into a generally spherical appendage, pressing the appendage to forma foot and pressing the glass in the bowlforming cavity to form thebowl.

2. In a method of making footed glassware, the steps including droppinga mass of molten glass through a one-piece mold portion having therein apart, at least of a cavity for forming the bowl of the ware, intosegmental mold portions having therein cavities for forming theremainder of the bowl, the stem and the foot, applying fluid andsimultaneously confining the glass flowing through the stem-formingcavity into the foot-forming cavity to preform it into a generallyspherical appendage, pressing the appendage to form a foot and pressingthe glass in the bowl-forming cavity to form the bowl.

3. In a method of making footed glassware, the steps including droppinga mass of molten glass into a mold having cavities for forming a bowl,

stem and foot, applying fluid pressure above the and bowl.

4. In a method of making footed glassware, the steps including droppinga mass of molten glass into a mold having cavities stem and foot,applying fluid to force 5. In a method of making footed glassware, the

- pressure through pressing said part into a foot remainder of the glassinto a forming cavity and while pressing the stem and bowl.

7. In a method of making a glass article including a bowl, stem and footin a mold having segments providin cavities for forming the stem andfoot, and a one-piece portion providing a cavity for forming the bowl,the steps including dropping a mass of molten glass into the bowlformingcavity of the mold, introducing a footpreforming member into thefoot-forming cavity while forcing a portion of the glass by pneumaticthe stem-forming cavity to preform an appendage of glass ofpredetermined size, and then simultaneously pressing the appendage andthe glass in the bowl-forming cavity to give final shape thereto.

mental, applying fluid pressure to the mass to force part of it throughthe stem-forming cavity, preforming the amount of glass which flows intothe foot-forming cavity and pressing it into a foot while pressing theglass in the bowl-forming cavity into a bowl, and controlling thepressing of the foot to limit the spreading thereof and prevent contactof the edge thereof with the mold.

9. In a method of making a footed goblet or the like having a seamlessbowl, the steps including dropping a mass of glass through a one-piecemold portion having a bowl-forming cavity therein and into a segmentalmold portion having stemforming and foot-forming cavities therein,applying fluid pressure on the mass to force a portion thereof throughthe stem-forming cavity, confining said portion thereby forming it intoan appendage, pressing the appendage to form a foot and pressing theremainder of the glass to form a stem in the segmental mold portion anda seamless bowl in said one-piece mold portion.

' THEODORE H. SLOAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

